The Halloween Bet
by TieDyeWitch629
Summary: Timber Wolf peer pressures, Duo Damsel chooses the costumes, Phantom Girl deflects, and Saturn Girl just wants to watch this with amusement. It's yet another Halloween Party for the Legion.


**I was inspired by watching a few movies with my friends. I know I had said that I wanted to completely rewrite 'Independence and Mysteries' but I was feeling the OTP burn...but not the inspiration. I was pretty stuck.**

 **But combined with my love of Halloween and the burning love of a thousand suns that I have for my OTP made this.**

 **Also pardon me but I haven't written in a while so my skills are a bit rusty.**

 **ENJOY!**

A satisfied hum escaped her lips as she sat at the kitchen island, a cup of tea settled between her palms. She had forgone the gloves to her costume in favor of savoring the heat that seeped from the mug into her hands. It was such a rarity to have the kitchen to herself so she made sure to fully take in the quiet and the calm. Phantom Girl glanced out the window wall as she took a sip, noting that with each new October day that more pumpkin colored leaves would fall from the trees.

Speaking of pumpkins, Phantom Girl turned her attention to carved set on the counter across from her. The ever classical tooth-gapped grin and triangular eyes that only belonged to the traditional Jack-O-Lantern stared back at her with no judgement. She gave the pumpkin a nod of respect in return before turning back to her tea.

Never let it be said that the Legion of Superheroes didn't love their holidays especially with the upcoming Halloween. And that said, the annual Halloween Party that HQ was throwing. The entire Legion building was absolutely buzzing with excitement for the upcoming party. Especially since they were unable to throw it the previous year due to a prison break that needed to be taken care of. As long as no trouble came their way on that night, the Legionnaires would be offered the night for fun and to act like regular teens.

 _For once_ , Phantom Girl snorted to herself.

At this point, most teens their age would be off in school or worrying about their own modern problems. It wasn't exactly a secret that if one chose to be a superhero that they would eventually have to come across some heavy things. Not every crime is just a robbery or scam. Others were murders, random chaos, terrorism, etc. To be a superhero, one would have to make sacrifices and would have to live with being scarred physically, emotionally, and mentally. Thankfully with Bouncing Boy as current President, there were more occasions to let the Legionnaires hair down. It was a breath of fresh air that Phantom Girl was all too happy to have in her life.

Grinning into her mug, Phantom Girl couldn't help but give a small excited shimmy in her seat. She had the perfect costume! As with every year, there was a certain theme. Given his love of classics, Bouncy Boy had chosen 'Sweet Nostalgia! Characters From The Past!'. Oh he was going to love her costume! Simple, her favorite color, a nice hat and she got a sword! What could be better than that?

The metallic door opened with a hiss and she quickly turned her head to see who had entered. Upon realizing exactly whom it was, Phantom Girl relaxed back into her seat with a grin towards Timber Wolf. Despite loving every Legion member like her own family, there were very few members that had gotten on her nerves in times where she wanted quiet. She suspects that's how she would feel if she had siblings.

Without glancing at her, Timber Wolf trudged to the island before leaning over and let his forehead meet the surface with a soft thud. In response, the girl across the way raised an eyebrow but her lips curled in amusement. Very rarely did he show his sulking any other way than crossed arms and a furrowed eyebrows...but that was also his typical stance. Phantom Girl was one of the few friends he freely relaxed around and though she never spoke of it, she was extremely grateful for his friendship. Someone who could keep up with her wit, sarcasm, and dry if not macabre sense of humor was definitely a keeper in her book.

"Oh what's wrong,T?" she asked before leaning over herself and tapped one of two ears brushed back against his head. "Did they cancel Cupcake Wars?"

Timber Wolf huffed and her grin grew wider before her fingers left his ears to poke at his shoulders.

"Wait, wait don't tell me! Did someone say that the week old cookies at the bakery down the street are better than yours?"

A gloved hand immediately covered her mouth as Timber Wolf turned his head in the slightest to glare at her with one eye.

"Bite your tongue, heathen." Was his charming response but it only added to her glee.

Once she managed to push his hand away from her mouth, she pressed on. "So are you going to tell me why you're so miserable like the Food Network Channel was cancelled entirely?"

With a sigh, Timber Wolf straightened up and pulled for a stool to sit on. Completely uninterested in her tea now, Phantom Girl pushed the mug to the side before leaning her forearms onto the table in earnest curiosity.

"DD." his one worded reply was blunt and to the point. ]She was able to figure out exactly what had happened. Her lips curled as she leaned further onto the island. His golden eyes looked away from her, a pout already beginning to work away at his lips. Oh this was simply too good not to tease him about it.

Phantom Girl tilted her head in the slightest, "Duo Damsel strikes again, has she?"

Timber Wolf still refused to look at her but grumbled, "I don't see why I let her pick my costume. She just-"

"Looked at you with those big eyes of hers?" she completed his sentence for him. Covered one side of her mouth with her hand and lowered her voice to a whisper, "It's her secret power: puppy eyes."

He snorted but shrugged, "I guess it's not too bad. Heard she's trying to get Garth into some sort of maid costume."

Phantom Girl clapped excitedly, "Oh I can't wait to see that!"

Noticing her neglected mug, she slid off the stool and carried it to the sink. Immediately she reached for the sponge and began to clean the mug. Why just put one dish in the sink and wait for it to be washed? Not that she minded washing dishes, it was somehow a rather calming chore for her to do.

"What did she rope you into being?"

The question only caused her to grin for all but the suds on the mug and the reflective metal of the sink. But she didn't give an answer to his question just yet. Once finished with the mug, all dried and put away in the cupboards, Phantom Girl turned her head to smirk at him over her shoulder.

"Nothing."

This caught his attention as he gave her a disbelieving look, complete with raised eyebrow and all. Her shoulder shook with her contained laughter and hastily she turned back to the sink in excuse to wash something else, if not just for the distraction. Oh poor Timber Wolf. He had fallen into one of the Legion's traditions: Luorenu picks your costume. Even she wasn't immune to the puppy eye trance that Duo Damsel seemed to have over everyone, Phantom Girl was just good at avoiding her until the last possible minute.

Once finished with the few utensils abandoned in the sink she turned back to him and perched herself on the counter with a hum.

"I don't give her the time to corner me. That's all. So I get to pick my costume and she always promises that she'll 'help' me next year."

She hid her chuckle behind her hand as Timber Wolf's shoulder fell as well as his face. Oh the poor man. But Duo Damsel was not entirely without mercy. The costume chosen for him probably wouldn't be all that bad considering it would be the first time since joining the Legion that he had been involved with the party. The year before the prison break, he had been part of a team whose mission had been held up and didn't return until after the holiday. Luorenu had a way of easing people into her costume choices with calm ones before pushing the limit every year. It was a cycle that Phantom Girl knew all too well.

"You're leaving me to suffer alone?"

She gave another shrug in turn to his question and the smug smile settled nicely on her features. Phantom Girl was curious to see what Luorenu had in store for him. While she didn't know much about fictional characters from Earth's past, she knew it would just give Duo Damsel another chance to work and spend time with Bouncing Boy. It was just so agonizing to see two people like one another and deny it to themselves work around one another. It was like a terrible TV show that kept the flirting and longing looks going just to torture the viewers.

Heartless fiends, the lot of them.

"Stop being so dramatic." Phantom Girl rolled her eyes good-naturedly and poised to look down at her nails. "The rest of the Legion will suffer with you as well."

Timber Wolf huffed again, "It'd be better with you with us."

Externally all she did was raise a brow at him but that did nothing to expel the warmth that blossomed in her chest. If only the tea she drank had drowned the fluttering butterflies in her stomach when he was near. This wasn't how a girl would normally feel around her friend. It would take time but she was sure that such feelings would go away and then there would be no chance to ruin their friendship.

Phantom Girl mocked a gasp and held a hand to her chest, the picture of a young woman scandalized. "Such betrayal from a dear friend. Wanting another to suffer with them rather than to save themselves. How cruel of you."

His upper lip twitched as he tried to regain his scowl. However he slipped and not even he could hide the small smile at her behavior. With a shake of his head, Timber Wolf rest his chin in his palm as he regarded her with golden, amused eyes.

"Who's being dramatic?"

Phantom Girl dropped the expression with a giggle, her head bowing. Her hair fell from its secure place behind her ears and she lifted a hand to push it back. She opened her mouth to quip back and turned her eyes to him but stopped as she caught the expression on his face. Timber Wolf was watching her hand move back her hair behind her ear. His eyes left the movement once she stilled and caught her gaze.

For a moment, time had stilled. Vaguely she could hear her heartbeat in her ears but Phantom Girl couldn't concentrate on anything but his eyes that pinned her in place. While Timber Wolf had been extremely insecure about his new appearance, she found it all rather appealing. Especially the color of his eyes. At the burning sensation of a flush crawling its way up her neck beneath her costume, Phantom Girl was the one to break contact by turning to stare at her feet with a forced chuckle.

"We are both dramatic, T. That's why we're such good friends."

With a clap of her hands, she looked up at him with a fake grin. Phantom Girl ignored the fleeting look of disappointment on his face and gave him a cruel smile. "I hope whatever costume she gives you has wedges."

Now it was Timber Wolf's turn to look scandalized that actually got a bark of laughter from her. The fact that his expression got her to laugh made his own scowl relax into a shy smile.

"Sorry to disappoint but it does not. Lightening Lad's costume does." He informed her. Timber Wolf chuckled as her eyebrows furrowed playfully and she snapped her fingers. He glanced down at the table and before she could ask, his attention was on her once again.

"What can I say for you to change your mind about DD's costume?"

Phantom Girl snorted, "Nothing."

Timber Wolf shifted on his seat, arms crossed on the table as he leaned forward. Oh, he was getting down to business it seemed. She waited to hear his response. Phantom Girl was certain that nothing he would say would change her mind. She had been doing this for far longer than he's been a Legionnaire and she wasn't going to give in now.

"I'll bake you anything you want."

"I'll pass."

"C'mon, how about those cinnamon cookies you like so much?"

"Not feeling it right now."

"You're banned from the cinnamon cookies for the rest of the month."

"Oh no, what will I do without cookies for three more days?"

"That was hurtful. You're hurtful."

"Might wanna go to the Medic Bay for that."

Timber Wolf let out a sigh and let his head hang. Her posture straightened and her head raised in the slightest, a proud smile on her face. Never let it be said that Tinya Wazzo was passive. Her hands found their way to her hips as she walked up to him and patted him on the shoulder.

"There, there, T." Phantom Girl soothed, her voice anything but apologetic. "There are others who are suffering with you...just not me."

And with that she turned on her heel, fully prepared to leave the kitchen. While there was still down time, Phantom Girl would enjoy the newest book that she had been dying to read. Shame she bought the book months ago and was just getting to it now. But it was a start.

"I'll make you a bet!"

Now that stopped her, her hand hovering just above the button for the door. Oh so he did have a trick up his sleeve. It was widely known in the Legion that Phantom Girl had a small weakness of betting and gambling. It had started during her time as a way to pass time and make the company she had more bearable as her mother mingled amongst elites to ensure her candidacy for Senate. It quickly became one of her worst vices. While she had it under control now, Phantom Girl couldn't resist the call on this request.

Turning her head to observe him over her shoulder, she piqued an eyebrow. "What do you have in mind?"

Timber Wolf visibly stumbled in his speech, as if he didn't expect it to work before offering weakly, "Rock, Paper, Scissors?"

Phantom Girl's laughter could be heard echoing in the hallway as she made her way back to her room.


End file.
